What kind of education do your kids get in the summer? Do you make them read, give them worksheets? Whats your plan?

I intend to defintly keep up with him reading and more him reading to me! I will continue to use his "Star word flashcards" I was thinking of picking up Jumpstart first grade. I basicaly want to keep him in the habit of a little "schooling" even if it is only 10-15 minutes a day!

And YOU? I know my ds will be going to 1st but I would love to hear any of the grades from K-12.

We have 2 other reading programs that Andy belonged to last summer. One he earned a $10. gift card from Target and one he earned points that he can cash in for prizes. RIF is one of the sites. http://www.rif.org/readingplanet/

Thanks for the websites! Our library is going to closed for a month right at the beginning of summer. Very upset about that. This is the longest constrction process I have ever seen grrr. The Walgreen goes up in 3 months the library is taking 3 yrs. There is another library but not as easy to get to. (were within walking distance) anyway that was a vent. I guess because Walgreens will profit more....

So with that in mind, this summer no kids book club, no computer club. I was looking forward to the computer club because he is now at the age to particapate in it yes another grrr. So we will do the best we can at home. Books will be available at some point in July.

My thinking ... My kids don't do any schooling in their summer holidays but their reading unless it pertains to day to day stuff.
I think they get learning burnout if they don't have at least 1 really good break from the insitutional rigidity of school. They are in gr7 and 12 and it gets to them after that many years. Their brain needs a break too.

This year we are going to work on reading. I have been pushing for my special needs 10 yr old to attend BOCES summer school but has never happened. Which is probley good since they say he does not regress enough to attend. Reading is his low point. The reading gap for him is closing soon. They say by the age of 12 determines how well you can read. We are going to keep reading journals thru the summer and the kids are going to write a report on a book of thier choice. His teacher knows that we plan todo this and she is going to assign him this for the summer. With the promise of the last two Froggy books that he needs to complete his collection when he turns in his journal and report at the beginning of the school year. She said that she will search high and low and pay what ever she has to for these two books because she knows that he will earn them. Now I just have to think of something to reward him with for doing this.

We are also going to build alot of things. We are trying to get him right on grade level for math, he is just about there. Measurement is holding him back so he is going to do all the planning and mesuring for what he builds.

as long as you can keep the learning fun and not a bore it's a great idea for elementary age kids. Middle/junior and High school kids usually have other ideas about their summers and learning is not often part of it.
I have forwarded the reading programs to my dd's and a cousin. I think the reading programs are great when they're really interested in participating.
thanks for the links.

__________________We donít know who we are until we see what we can doÖ Martha Grimes

My dd2 is taking drivers ed by correspondence as she doesn't want to be tied to a classroom for three weeks in the morning.

My dd1 is taking a much deserved break! I just hope this brain break is long enough so that she can start college fresh! That homeschool year she did in tenth grade might have hurt her math in 11th but in 12th she didn't have half the burnout of her peers and no senioritis here either.

I think both of them will continue to read books they just can't get to during the school year. We have a habit of reading and to each other so I hope we get some of that time too.

If there is anything I want them to do it is to eat well, sleep well, and read read read read read everything they can get their mitts on including the current events and fun stuff too ! etc.

I might have them plan a maybe trip out west. DH mumbled something about five days there so it would be neat if they do the planning and reservations. Get some practical learning in the real world next to all that book learning!

__________________

Ellen in PA

"God has not given us a spirit of fear; but of love, power, and a sound mind."

My Big DS is finishing his freshman year in high school. This summer he will probably have 3 or 4 books to read for school assignments (English, religion and history classes generally all have summer reading requirements). He also has about 4 merit badges to complete for Boy Scouts before he begins working on his Eagle project. So this should keep him busy.

As far as I know, DD who is going into 6th grade will not have a summer reading assignment. I wish she would, because she's a reluctant reader. I do want to figure out a way to get her to practice her math because she is weak on the basic math facts. I don't think I will ever turn her into a math genius but her lack of the basics is handicapping her more and more each year. I think using one of the math-based computer games will probably help.

Luke is going into kindergarten. He will participate in the library's summer reading program (the Read-to-Me Club.) I also want him to learn to write all his letters. He can already recognize them all and write some, but only as capitals. He can also spell his name, as well as his brother and sister's names, and Mom and Dad--and Yoda

I have a question, this is coming from the fact that no school work is set by the schools here for summer break.
If your kids have porjects and assignments over the summer break as they go back to school in a new year level, who sets the assign, the old teacher or the new?

Reading was easy for my kids, we always sat down at night a read right from when tehy were toddlers, I found a book that had the words of the story but had a picture of the cat in the sentence, or the dog or the boat, they would read this and then we progressed to the small words (sounding them out) and before we knew he recognised the words letters etc. Made bigger words out of mall ones, eg: ice, nice, lice and so on.
He is an avid reader and was reading to his pre school class.
Maths we started by counting, then adding the simple 2+1, could we minus or divide with all sorts of numbers. A fave game was being in the car and looking at the digital clock saying it is now 9.20 how many more to make it 9.30 or 11.56 how many to 12 etc.

Kathy, in my son's case, EVERY student in the entire grade (about 200 kids) does the same reading assignment. The kids in the Honors classes have 1 or 2 extra books on top of the regular assignment. Each teacher is responsible to test the children on the books when they return.

I know that in the public school in my town, each child has to do a math assignment over the summer. 1 page a day. These are graded as a test by the teacher in the fall (the teacher the student has now, not the teacher from last school year).